The Carnation Revolution, also referred to as the 25 April (25 de Abril), was a military coup in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 April 1974 which overthrew the regime of the Estado Novo. The revolution started as a military coup organized by the Movimento das Forças Armadas (Armed Forces Movement, MFA), composed of military officers who opposed the regime, but the movement was soon coupled with an unanticipated and popular campaign of civil resistance. This movement would lead to the fall of the Estado Novo and the withdrawal of Portugal from its African colonies.

The name "Carnation Revolution" comes from the fact no shots were fired and when the population took to the streets to celebrate the end of the dictatorship and war in the colonies, carnation flowers were put into the muzzles of rifles and on the uniforms of the army.

The two curves on the coin represent the generic form of a carnation flower symbolizing the movement. The name of the issuing country 'PORTUGAL' and the national shield are inscribed above the flower. The center image shows the date of the event, "APRIL 25" and at the bottom the number of years since the revolution indicates, "40 YEARS" and the year of issue "2014". The format of letters and numbers is inspired by those used on posters and other media 40 years ago.